Beibei's gaze swept around, observing the group of Human-Faced Demon Spiders gradually closing in on the team. He took a step forward with his right foot, and his aura surged dramatically.
A dazzling blue light ignited at his brow, faintly condensing into a lightning-shaped mark. The blue light instantly spread across his entire body, with blue-purple serpentine lightning crackling and slithering over him. His body visibly expanded, growing slightly larger.
Both of his arms transformed completely into robust dragon arms, with blue-purple dragon scales spreading from his arms across his entire body, even covering half of his face.
His demeanour underwent a monumental shift, becoming domineering and sharp.
Two yellow, two purple, and one black soul ring. Five optimally configured soul rings emerged in succession.
With Beibei's cultivation breaking through to the Soul King realm, the extent of his draconification naturally deepened. Draconification was one of the major advantages of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, a top-tier beast martial soul.
Although the four of them shared a close relationship, they were here to hunt a soul beast for Tang Ya to obtain a soul ring. It wouldn't be appropriate for Yu Tianhuang to take the lead every time.
"Beibei, let me help you," Tang Ya said, her expression shifting slightly.
Human-Faced Demon Spiders were far more terrifying than the Mandala Snake they had encountered earlier. Known as the nightmare of small and medium-sized soul beasts, even these head-sized spiders, which were only at the ten-year level, were more troublesome than many hundred-year soul beasts.
This was the advantage of their species. Just as human soul masters' martial souls varied in quality, so too did soul beasts.
With so many Human-Faced Demon Spiders gathered together, even an ordinary Soul Ancestor would struggle to escape unscathed. Not to mention, there was a mother spider, with a cultivation of at least four thousand years, lurking in the shadows.
"The mother spider hasn't shown itself yet. Be careful and keep an eye on Junior Sister Ning Tian. The web-binding skill of a nearly five-thousand-year Human-Faced Demon Spider is a bit troublesome," Beibei said, shaking his head before calling out, "Tianhuang."
Having known each other for so long and fought side by side in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duelling Tournament, Xu Zihuang naturally understood Beibei's intent. In fact, he had already been releasing his spiritual power to sense the surroundings. Unfortunately, the mother spider remained outside the range of his spiritual perception.
The berserk lightning-attribute soul power erupting from Beibei dispersed the morning mist lingering in the air. Blue-purple serpentine lightning continuously gathered and dissipated on his dragon arms, with flashes of lightning that seemed to pierce the surrounding space.
At the moment, a cluster of lightning surged on his right arm, the Human-Faced Demon Spiders' long legs pushed against the ground, and they leapt into the air, attacking the group from all directions.
The soul skill Web Binding could only be truly mastered by Human-Faced Demon Spiders after reaching the hundred-year level. However, even without this innate soul skill, their exoskeletons, as hard as refined iron, and their venomous, razor-sharp legs were enough to make many soul masters and soul beasts wary.
Unfortunately, Beibei was not among them.
Facing the onslaught of the Human-Faced Demon Spiders, he made an unusual move. He pressed his palms together in front of his chest, their inner surfaces facing each other, and pushed them outward slightly.
In an instant, countless dense arcs of electricity sparked between his palms, resembling a miniature forest of lightning.
The second of his five soul rings, a yellow hundred-year ring, lit up.
This was Beibei's second soul skill, Vigorous Thunderbolt. Originally, Vigorous Thunderbolt was meant to be released externally, unleashing a lightning grid to attack enemies in a wide-ranging assault. However, with his astonishing control over soul skills, he condensed it into the space between his palms, turning the vast into the minute.
Ning Tian's delicate brows twitched. Among their generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters, if Yu Tianhuang stood alone at the top, then Beibei and Xu Sanshi were just one tier below.
Compared to the time of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duelling Tournament, everyone had made significant progress.
Tang Ya appeared even more astonished than Ning Tian. Ever since Beibei broke through to the four-ring Soul Ancestor level, the gap in their strength had widened significantly. During their usual sparring sessions, Beibei never displayed such abilities, which left her with an incomplete understanding of his true power.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have offered to assist him earlier.
Among the three, only Xu Zihuang's expression remained unchanged, still calmly using his spiritual power to search for the mother spider's traces. With his Extreme Lightning martial soul, his innate control over lightning soul skills was unparalleled. Beibei's display wasn't enough to stir his emotions.
A flash of brilliant blue-purple lightning reflected in Xu Zihuang's golden eyes.
Beibei erupted.
His palms suddenly clapped together, and the lightning forest in his hands transformed into hundreds of thunderbolts that shot outward, striking each Human-Faced Demon Spider with pinpoint accuracy.
"Pfft, pfft, pfft—" Amid the thick scent of charred flesh, the spiders' forward momentum halted abruptly. Their lifeless bodies fell from the air, shattering into blackened fragments upon hitting the ground. Countless faint white soul rings filled the surrounding space.
At that moment, a sharp screech echoed from the distance. A yellow-green web, nearly twenty meters in diameter, descended like a canopy, enveloping the group. Wherever the web passed, any plants it touched withered at a visible rate.
"Senior Brother Bei, two o'clock direction, five hundred meters," Xu Zihuang said in a low voice, his golden eyes gleaming as they locked onto a monstrous spider. Its body was over two meters in diameter, with each spear-like leg exceeding five meters in length.
This was the mother spider of the Human-Faced Demon Spider group.
A strange dark red ripple swept through, and a crystal barrier formed just in time to block the yellow-green web.
With Xu Zihuang's guidance, Beibei quickly locked onto the target.
A low, resonant boom erupted from his body, and the blue-purple lightning enveloping him grew even denser, his aura surging once more.
His third purple soul ring shone with dazzling brilliance.
Third soul skill, Thunderous Fury.
At the same time, Beibei employed the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, charging toward the nearly five-thousand-year-old Human-Faced Demon Spider. His figure flickered, creating an illusory effect.
The Human-Faced Demon Spider mirrored his movements, its eerie eight purple eyes glinting with malice and coldness as its slender legs moved frenetically.
The dark red crystal barrier stood between them, making Beibei and the spider appear as mirror images of each other, their movements seemingly synchronised. The only difference was that one was human, and the other was a soul beast.
"Bang—" The crystal barrier shattered the moment they were about to collide, and an incredibly sturdy crystal cage sealed the Human-Faced Demon Spider's movements.
The dark red crystal cage conjured by Xu Zihuang's second soul skill was similar to Tang Ya's Blue Silver Cage, but the dark red crystal pillars were far tougher than Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass.
Even under the spider's frantic thrashing, the cage remained immovable. The sharp screeches from its grotesque mouth grew even more piercing.
Xu Zihuang refrained from fully encasing the spider in dark red crystal because his soul skill was unique—spiritual power and soul power would linger in the spider's body. If Tang Ya were to shatter the crystal and kill it, the soul ring might become unabsorbable for her.
At this level of cultivation, the Human-Faced Demon Spider possessed considerable intelligence. It realised it couldn't break free from the crystal cage in the short term, and its webbing was ineffective. Driven by a fierce survival instinct, it reared up, exposing the eerie, pale human face on its abdomen.
Eight jet-black beams shot from its eight purple eyes, their light restrained yet oppressive.
Known as the abhorrent terror and evil slayer among soul beasts, the Human-Faced Demon Spider's arsenal extended beyond Web Binding.
With a cultivation nearing five thousand years, the eight black beams it fired were undoubtedly more powerful than a level-four soul tool beam. Their only flaw was their inability to lock onto a target.
But this flaw was fatal.
With the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Beibei dodged the beams with a few swift movements.
Each black beam effortlessly pierced through the thick tree trunks behind him, shattering them with explosive sounds.
Missing Beibei, the soul skill marked the spider's final chance to resist.
Blue-purple lightning blazed in Beibei's dragon claw. Amplified by his third soul skill, Thunderous Fury, a massive Thunderous Dragon Claw, over three meters wide, formed in the air and slammed toward the Human-Faced Demon Spider.
With a cultivation nearing five thousand years, this spider stood at the second tier of the soul beast hierarchy. Beyond its speed and venom, its offensive and defensive capabilities were exceptional among soul beasts of similar cultivation.
But it faced Beibei, a Soul King with the powerful Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul.
The explosive power of lightning-attribute soul masters was always terrifying. With Thunderous Fury active, Beibei's first soul skill, Thunderous Dragon Claw, rivalled the fourth soul skills of many Soul Ancestors.
Coupled with the gap in cultivation, the spider's defences were negligible under this strike.
Beibei's dragon claw clenched, and the Thunderous Dragon Claw tightened in sync. Under the ravaging blue-purple lightning, the spider's arched legs trembled and extended, its sturdy exoskeleton cracking as its aura weakened drastically.
Seeing this, Xu Zihuang dissolved the crystal cage into icy fragments.
Using the Dragon Capturing Crane technique, Beibei flipped the spider's massive body, exposing its vulnerable abdomen, and called out, "Xiao Ya."
Tang Ya stepped forward joyfully. With a flash of white light from her storage soul tool, eight throwing knives appeared in her hands. Using the Tang Sect's hidden weapon techniques, she struck the eight purple eyes on the spider's abdomen.
A dense purple light gathered above the spider's corpse, forming a regal yet faintly ferocious purple soul ring.
"It looks like our luck is really good this time! In just two days, both Junior Sister Ning Tian and I encountered such suitable soul beasts," Tang Ya said excitedly.
After all, whether it was the Diamond Mammoth or the Human-Faced Demon Spider, both were rare and powerful soul beasts. The premium soul rings they produced were the dream of countless soul masters.
Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian approached the spider's corpse.
Holding Xu Zihuang's arm, Ning Tian smiled and congratulated Tang Ya, "Congratulations on getting what you wanted, Senior Sister Xiao Ya."
"I didn't expect it to go so smoothly," Tang Ya giggled, glancing at Xu Zihuang.
"I feel like you're my lucky star, Tianhuang. The first time we met in the Star Dou Forest, you helped me get that thousand-year Crypt Demon Spider's soul ring. And now, you and Beibei helped me get this Human-Faced Demon Spider."
Xu Zihuang smiled without responding, but Beibei's expression grew serious as he shifted his gaze from the spider's corpse. He suddenly said, "Xiao Ya, this Human-Faced Demon Spider's cultivation is probably over four thousand five hundred years."
He paused, lifting his head to look at Tang Ya.
Though he only said half of what he meant, everyone understood the unspoken part: with Tang Ya's physical condition, absorbing this soul ring could be dangerous, as she might not withstand its energy impact.
Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian realised this as well.
As scions of prominent families, they had been nurtured with top-tier natural treasures since childhood, building strong foundations. Subconsciously, they assumed absorbing a soul ring within normal limits would be fine. Xu Zihuang was an exception, and while Ning Tian was a support-type soul master, her meridians and physical strength were robust due to long-term nourishment, lacking only in stamina.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have successfully absorbed the Diamond Mammoth's soul ring, which was of the same tier as the Human-Faced Demon Spider but with an even higher cultivation.
But Tang Ya's situation was different. The declining Tang Sect couldn't provide her any support, and her Blue Silver Grass martial soul offered no physical enhancement. Absorbing a soul ring from a nearly five-thousand-year Human-Faced Demon Spider, as Beibei feared, could indeed overwhelm her.
Tang Ya's smile faded. She glanced at the spider's corpse, then met Beibei's gaze with determination.
"Beibei, I'll be fine. This Human-Faced Demon Spider's cultivation hasn't exceeded the limit for a Soul Ancestor's fourth soul ring."
Beibei frowned, remaining silent for a long time. The words he wanted to say stayed unspoken, and he let out a heavy sigh.
He knew Tang Ya too well. Though she usually seemed cheerful and carefree, once she set her mind on something, she displayed an inexplicable stubbornness.
"Protect me," Tang Ya said, her charming face breaking into an infectious smile.
As she spoke, she quickly sat beside the spider's corpse. Her delicate hand reached out, and her slender fingers touched the purple soul ring. Guided by her blue soul power, the soul ring began merging into her body.
Tang Ya focused intently on absorbing the soul ring, while the three others stood guard around her.
With Beibei's softened stance, Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian refrained from saying more.
They also believed that a soul ring within a soul master's absorption limit shouldn't pose issues. Even with Tang Ya's weaker constitution, as long as her will was strong, she should endure the soul ring's impact.
Purple-black light poured into Tang Ya's meridians like a flood finding an outlet. Enveloped in the purple-black glow, her delicate frame trembled uncontrollably.
Under the intense soul power fluctuations, Tang Ya felt as if her body were exploding. Excruciating pain made her spit out a mist of blood.
"No, it's soul ring backlash! Xiao Ya?!" Beibei's face paled. His worst fears had come true.
Several more mouthfuls of blood followed, and Tang Ya, seated cross-legged in the centre, became obscured. A faint red mist enveloped her entirely. Her trembling intensified, as if she might collapse at any moment.
"Senior Sister Xiao Ya…" Ning Tian's eyes wavered, her grip tightening unconsciously on Xu Zihuang's arm.
Xu Zihuang used his spiritual power to closely monitor Tang Ya's condition.
Normally composed, Beibei's face darkened like a storm cloud as he paced around Tang Ya. His concerns had proven correct. The Human-Faced Demon Spider was no ordinary soul beast. Its ferocity and strength made this soul ring's energy exceptionally domineering.
If its cultivation hadn't been within the limit for a Soul Ancestor's fourth soul ring, he would never have allowed Tang Ya to attempt its absorption.
But it was too late for regrets.
As concern clouded his judgment, Beibei could no longer hold back when Tang Ya's condition grew critical. Preparing to forcibly interrupt her soul ring absorption, his eyes were filled with self-blame.
Compared to ten thousand years ago, the modern soul master world had deeper insights into martial souls. Forcibly stopping soul ring absorption would still cause irreversible harm to Tang Ya, but it would at least preserve her life.
Just as he extended his right hand, channelling soul power to act, Xu Zihuang firmly grasped his wrist.
"Senior Brother Bei, don't rush."
Before Beibei could react, his gaze, fixed on Tang Ya, froze.
At that moment, the blue-black Blue Silver Grass in Tang Ya's palm began to shimmer with blue-golden light.
The blue-black Blue Silver Grass in her right hand slowly shifted to a deep blue hue, becoming translucent and sparkling like sapphires. At the centre of each crystalline blade, a golden vein seemed to be etched, extending from the root to the tip.
Blue-golden light replaced the faint red blood mist enveloping her body.
Tang Ya's aura stabilised, and every blade of Blue Silver Grass around her turned crystalline, growing wildly.
"Could this be the Blue Silver Emperor?!" Ning Tian's murmur snapped Beibei back to reality.
Indeed, it was true. At the brink of her limit, the pure Blue Silver Emperor bloodline within Tang Ya had finally been triggered.
However, this was merely the awakening of her bloodline. Fully completing the evolution would require a lengthy process or a more significant catalyst.
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